The effect of rifampin on the production of beta22 phage by Bacillus subtilis

A combination therapy of Phages and Antibiotics: Two is better than one

Emergence of antibiotic resistance presents a major setback to global health, and shortage of antibiotic pipelines has created an urgent need for development of alternative therapeutic strategies. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is considered as a potential approach for treatment of the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Phage-antibiotic synergy (PAS) refers to sublethal concentrations of certain antibiotics that enhance release of progeny phages from bacterial cells. A combination of phages and antibiotics is a promising strategy to reduce the dose of antibiotics and the development of antibiotic resistance during treatment. In this review, we highlight the state-of-the-art advancements of PAS studies, including the analysis of bacterial-killing enhancement, bacterial resistance reduction, and anti-biofilm effect, at both in vitro and in vivo levels. A comprehensive review of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of phage antibiotic synergy is provided, and synthetic biology approaches used to engineer phages, and design novel therapies and diagnostic tools are discussed. In addition, the role of engineered phages in reducing pathogenicity of bacteria is explored.

Phage-Antibiotic Combination Treatments: Antagonistic Impacts of Antibiotics on the Pharmacodynamics of Phage Therapy?

Bacteria can evolve resistance to antibiotics. Even without changing genetically, bacteria also can display tolerance to antibiotic treatments. Many antibiotics are also broadly acting, as can result in excessive modifications of body microbiomes. Particularly for antibiotics of last resort or in treating extremely ill patients, antibiotics furthermore can display excessive toxicities. Antibiotics nevertheless remain the standard of care for bacterial infections, and rightly so given their long track records of both antibacterial efficacy and infrequency of severe side effects. Antibiotics do not successfully cure all treated bacterial infections, however, thereby providing a utility to alternative antibacterial approaches. One such approach is the use of bacteriophages, the viruses of bacteria. This nearly 100-year-old bactericidal, anti-infection technology can be effective against antibiotic-resistant or -tolerant bacteria, including bacterial biofilms and persister cells. Ideally phages could be used in combination with standard antibiotics while retaining their anti-bacterial pharmacodynamic activity, this despite antibiotics interfering with aspects of bacterial metabolism that are also required for full phage infection activity. Here I examine the literature of pre-clinical phage-antibiotic combination treatments, with emphasis on antibiotic-susceptible bacterial targets. I review evidence of antibiotic interference with phage infection activity along with its converse: phage antibacterial functioning despite antibiotic presence.

The SPO1-related bacteriophages

A large and diverse group of bacteriophages has been termed 'SPO1-like viruses'. To date, molecular data and genome sequences are available for Bacillus phage SPO1 and eight related phages infecting members of other bacterial genera. Many additional bacteriophages have been described as SPO1-related, but very few data are available for most of them. We present an overview of putative 'SPO1-like viruses' and shall discuss the available data in view of the recently proposed expansion of this group of bacteriophages to the tentative subfamily Spounavirinae. Characteristics of SPO1-related phages include (a) the host organisms are Firmicutes; (b) members are strictly virulent myoviruses; (c) all phages feature common morphological properties; (d) the phage genome consists of a terminally redundant, non-permuted dsDNA molecule of 127-157 kb in size; and (e) phages share considerable amino acid homology. The number of phages isolated consistent with these parameters is large, suggesting a ubiquitous nature of this group of viruses.

Bacteriophages of Bacillus subtilis

Images

Transcription during the development of bacteriophage phi 29: production of host- and phi 29-specific ribonucleic acid

The synthesis of ribonucleic acid (RNA) during development of the virulent Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage phi29 has been analyzed. Transcription of host deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) continues at the preinfection rate throughout the latent period of viral growth. RNA-DNA hybridization was used to show that host messenger RNA synthesis continues late into the phage lytic cycle. Amino acid-labeling experiments show that this RNA is continuously used to produce protein. Ribosomal RNA production is not inhibited by phage infection. Small quantities of phage-specific RNA first appear between min 6 and 9 after infection. This RNA is made exclusively from one of the phi29 DNA strands. At 12 min postinfection, when phage DNA replication commences, large quantities of viral RNA start to be synthesized. This RNA appears to be transcribed from both strands of phi29 DNA. Studies with rifamycin and rifamycin-resistant host strains showed that the production of all phage phi29-specific RNA requires those components of the host RNA polymerase which are sensitive to this antibiotic. Thus, phage phi29 does not stop transcription of host DNA and may produce only one element for regulation of transcription of its own DNA. These findings may reflect the limited amount of genetic information carried by this phage.

Dominance relationships in mixedly infected Bacillus subtilis

The progeny released from Bacillus subtilis cells mixedly infected with bacteriophages beta22, SP82, and SP02(c1) have been studied at varying multiplicities of infection and orders of addition and with different host strains of the bacterium. In B. subtilis 168, SP02(c1) was subordinate to both SP82 and beta22 and did not yield significant numbers of progeny even when added 5 min before the superior phage. Dominance in mixed infections of beta22 and SP82 was host-dependent. In B. subtilis 168, SP82 was dominant and greatly reduced the yield of beta22 if added simultaneously or before the subordinate partner. However, in the same mixed infection in B. subtilis SB11, beta22 was the dominant phage and totally suppressed the production of SP82 even when added 5 min after the latter.

Nucleic acid synthesis in Bacillus subtilis infected with bacteriophage beta-22

Changes in the synthesis of host and phage nucleic acid after infection of Bacillus subtilis with virulent bacteriophage beta22 were analyzed by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA)-DNA hybridization. Host DNA replication continued during the first third of the 55-min latent period and then ceased at approximately the time replication of the phage genome was initiated. Host-specific RNA was synthesized concurrently with phage RNA during the first half of the latent period but was repressed late in the infection. For much of the latent period, the population of phage-specific RNA changed continually as new species were transcribed and earlier species were repressed; detectable changes ceased coincidentally with the appearance of intracellular phage. Control over transcription of phage DNA was to some degree an intrinsic property of the interaction of B. subtilis DNA-dependent RNA polymerase and the phage genome, since only the early species of phage RNA were synthesized in vitro by B. subtilis polymerase and pure beta22 DNA. In vitro transcription of late functions was demonstrated by using the endogenous RNA polymerase activity of the nucleoprotein complex (nuclear fraction) from infected cells.